YouTube’s the Sidemen launch virtual fried chicken brand

Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji aka KSI and the six other YouTube stars that make up the ‘collective’ have partnered with Reef, the world’s largest operator of virtual restaurants and delivery kitchens, to launch Sides. 

Just two weeks ago, Reef partnered with DJ Khaled on ‘the biggest virtual restaurant rollout in history’,​​ which saw two dark kitchens launch in London alongside a number of sites overseas.  

Reef’s plans for Sides appear to be equally ambitious - it claims that ‘200 sites’ are set to open globally by the end of 2022. 

The press materials state that Sides is available to order ‘across London’ and the UAE but give no details on the number of locations. 

Sides has been developed in collaboration with Virtual Hero, an offshoot of Doner Kebab and Island Poké-owner Hero Brands.

Customers can expect ‘a side of jokes with their mouth-watering chicken, with dishes developed personally by the culture-led crew’.

Diners get a choice of a protein - either chicken or plant-based vegan option - paired with either a ‘sando’ slider or salad.

There are seven types of chicken or plant-based vegan option, including chipotle, classic buffalo, BBQ, Teriyaki and Louisiana.

Sides include waffle fries, mac ‘n’ cheese, slaw, onion rings, and cheese poppers.

“The Sidemen are representative of exciting and relevant British talent being at the forefront of new trends - we’re thrilled to be able to help launch their first venture in to food," says Reef head of brand partnerships Leo Feldman. 

“We’re looking forward to delivering Sides to the U.K. and the rest of the world. With The Sidemen’s wide-reaching fanbase and REEF’s network of kitchens, this new delivery concept will shake up the virtual restaurant market, showing how brands - and creators - can use our platform to scale with unprecedented speed and no capital investment.”